Death toll from Ashura rituals in Iraq’s Kerbala climbs to 31 with 100 more wounded

At least 31 people died and another 100 were wounded on Tuesday during the Shi’ite Muslim religious rituals of Ashura in the Iraqi city of Kerbala, a Health Ministry spokesman said, offering no details as to how they died, reports Reuters.

Ashura marks the day when, according to Islamic tradition, the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussein was killed in battle in the year 680. Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims from around the world converge each year on Kerbala, the site of the battle.